Destin's Chase Hurt Finishes 5th in Drive, Chip and Putt Championship

Augusta, GA---While the PGA tour will be playing at Augusta National next week for the green jacket, Destin junior golfer, 15 year-old Chase Hurt and 87 others took to golf's famous grounds Sunday for the first ever Drive, Chip and Putt Championship.

Chase and the other youth players advanced via regional qualifiers earlier this year, competing in the three key phases of the sport.

Playing in four different age classes, Hurt took on the field in the 14-15 year old group.

In the first challenge, the drive, golfers get two chances to drive their ball within a fairway 30 yards wide, with the longest shot in bounds going towards their score for the round. Chase was unable to keep his balls in-bounds. He finished the first round tied for 10th in the 11 player field.

Next up was chipping, where competitors would get two attempts to put the ball as close to the hole as possible from a specific spot off the green. Chase with his final of two attempts knocks it within eight feet of the hole. He finished fifth in the round, moving up to a tie for ninth.

In the final round, putting on Augusta's 18th green, Chase was shining brightest. With three attempts from six feet, 18 feet, and 30 feet, his three shots totaled the shortest distance to the cup, giving him a first place finish on the putting green.

Talking to Chase over the phone up at Augusta, he says the moment, this experience, is something he'll never forget.

"It was exciting and nervous, but I was pretty calm until I got there and there were all the people and the cameras," said Hurt. "It was just so pretty and beautiful and I just took it in and I focused. Then I finally went out there and had a couple mistakes but I got through it"

Chase will head back home to Destin Tuesday.

Monday, he'll watch the first Masters practice round in what will be the first PGA tour event he'll ever attend.

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